Navigate:

President Obama's inaugural speech: 10 memorable lines

President Barack Obama delivered his second inaugural address Monday to a packed crowd on the National Mall. Here’s POLITICO’s list of the 10 most memorable quotes from the 18-minute speech:

1. “We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional — what makes us American — is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago.”

3. “We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few.”

4. “My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it — so long as we seize it together.”

5. “But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.”

6. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.

7. “But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our creed.”

8. “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”

9. “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.”

10. “You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time — not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.”